Welcome To
Windmill
Farms
Grain
& Garden
Homemade
Farmers Market Jam & Salsa
Sold each Saturday at
the Ogden UT Farmers Market from 8-1pm July – Sept
5 Varieties of Fruit
Salsa, Specialty Salsa and Jam like Grandma makes!
Real Fruit, Cane Sugar, No
Corn Syrup, No Fillers
We now have Wild
Chokecherry Jelly & Huckleberry Jam!
(Click here for our products & price list)
Jed,
“Thank you so much for coming down and making a salsa drop. When I went
over to pick up the goods, I opened a jar of the medium corn salsa.
Amanda, the gal who picked it up from you, dipped a chip and took a bite.
She closed her eyes and did not say a thing for the longest time. I got
concerned that she did not like it, so I asked. She turned as if
startled, and said "That is the best thing ever." She ate almost the
whole jar in less than a half hour.
We will be ordering again and sharing the wealth with others.”
All the best,
Melissa
Contact:
Jed Packer 435-770-1276 or e-mail me at: windmillfarmsgg@hotmail.com
&
Outstanding Field Golden Retrievers
“Best
friends aren't born; they're made one great memory at a time.”
~See
the following information below~
Puppy Owners Updated
Litter Information Updated
OFA, CERF & PRA Health Clearances
Providence UT Training Grounds
– Cache Valley Utah – Bridgerland
“
“
Lady Sheila of WM Farms
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=214413
http://www.offa.org/results.html?all=SR28455001&x=11&y=1
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Name: |
Lady
Sheila of WM Farms |
Sire:
SR08543608 |
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Registration: |
AKC
Golden Retriever |
Dam:
SR13639603 |
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Sex: |
Female |
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Color: |
Medium
Golden |
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Birthdate: |
August
20, 2005 |
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OFA Number |
Registry |
Test/Film Date |
Report Date |
Age |
Final Conclusion |
GR-31282 |
CERF |
September
12, 2007 |
September
12, 2007 |
25 |
Tested
06,07 |
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GR-93638G24F-PI |
HIPS |
August
24, 2007 |
September
19, 2007 |
24 |
GOOD |
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GR-EL16457F24-PI |
ELBOW |
August
24, 2007 |
September
19, 2007 |
24 |
NORMAL |
Test Performed: prcd Mutation Test for PRAOptigen Accession #: 08-686 February 4, 2008 Sample Type: Blood
Test
Results: Genotype
of Sheila is Normal/Clear.
Risk for developing prcd-PRA: This dog
will NEVER develop the prcd form of PRA (progressive rod-cone degeneration form
of Progressive Retinal Atrophy). Note
that PRA in Golden Retrievers appears to consist of at least two different
genetic defects. Neither of which are found in Sheila.
Significance
for breeding:
Genetically Normal/Clear dogs can be bred to any dog and will produce no pups
affected with the prcd form of PRA. Percentage wise, Sheila is one of the very
few breeding females in North America today that has been proactively tested
for this genetic eye disease.
Natural
Training
Emphases – Pheasant,
Owner/Trainer:
Jed Packer/Steve Shaver
Sheila: A western breed upland hunter! From a healthy
litter of 11, she’s a retrieving machine with confidence on land and especially
in water. A strong family trait evidenced in her progeny. Sheila possesses what
we think is a main component in the hunter’s dog, cooperative behavior. This
makes working with her in the field an absolute pleasure. She’s not an
independent, “my way”; raise the blood pressure kind of dog. She’s a natural
working dog with heart and natural inborn instincts. She’s a good looking medium
colored girl with good bone. She’s 23” tall weighing in at 65 pounds.
She’s lightly feathered; flat coated and grows a tremendous down layer in the
winter which has proven out on our snowshoe overnighters. She has really nice
angulation blending front and rear actions for a smooth, graceful and sure
footed gait. She is eager to please, intelligent, a powerful swimmer, with a
high endurance, excellent nose, cold weather proven and very trainable. Our extended family owns and farms several
hundred acres in
For health history, I’ve completed
most lines back many generations. Some ancestral lines have been completed all
the way to the early 1900 original Lord Tweedmouth dogs. Notable family
members include: FC-AFC Mioak's Smokin Zeke, Am./Can./Aust. CH. Ranchosierra El Chicco, FC/AFC Sungold Lad's Talisman 0S/FDHF and many other excellent dogs. She
is not a line breed dog. Her COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding = 0%) We concentrate on positive
field training methods using e-collar reinforcement. She’s proven herself as a valuable hunter and
wonderful family companion.
Ruby’s Prairie
Sunrise of WM Farms
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=283842
Owner/Trainer: Jed Packer/Steve Shaver
An eastern breed field trial daughter of Red River Ruckus. Red is one of
a handful of golden’s invited to nationals last year. A chip of the old block,
Ruby is a very athletic and the fastest dog I’ve owned. She trains well and has
enough go-juice for a whole pack. She had a great fall pheasant hunt bagging a
winged rooster her 1st try. With her signature dark red coat, jet
black pigment, focus and happy demeanor, 1 1/2 year old Ruby is doing great. I
am working with her on all the basics.
She is currently training between the JH & SH levels. She is birdy,
a good marker and flat out fast! She absolutely loves the water and has a great
entry. She’s a lot of dog and YES there’s a distinct difference between Eastern
and Western breed dogs. I know, I have one of each and enjoy some of the
attributes they each posses. I’m dedicating this wonderful dog to my daughter
Clarissa.
Ruby’s Sire: NDC NMFR RockErin Red River Ruckus ***
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=125212
Red is a very handsome, dark golden
with a powerful, athletic physic. He has a terrific water attitude and
wonderful golden temperament. He is field trial golden that is currently
enjoying a lot of success. Red ran his 1st derby in 04’ at 16 months
placing 3rd. Since then his career has really taken off. Red took 1st
at Tulsa Retriever Club & Texas Panhandle Retriever club in 05’. At the end
of 05’ Red had accumulated 51 points making him the
Tribute to Clarissa
We found out on Clarissa’s 10th birthday just before Christmas
07’ that she has a stage 3 astrocytoma located in the center of her brain. Clarissa
passed away 5 months later on May 23, 2008. We traveled 90 miles to Salt Lake
City for 42 days of intense chemo and radiation without success. She amazed
everyone with her courage, kindness and never once complained. It is an honor
to be called her father as I learned more from her than she can ever imagine.
We wish to thank everyone especially friends, family, employers and neighbors
for your thoughts, prayers and kind acts. We also wish to thank the individuals
and organizations of: Primary Children’s Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
Macey’s, Associated Foods and Providence Elementary. Your acts of help and
kindness have changed our lives for good. Clarissa loved golden retrievers and
especially puppies. In her lifetime she loved, kissed and held all the puppies
from both Sheila’s litters. Consider them kissed by an angel! Like me, Clarissa
loved to be outside. She loved to walk in the fields with Sheila, Ruby and me.
She loved to garden and sell her home grown lettuce and our Jam & salsa at
our local farmers markets. She is sorely missed and often thought of. A tribute
to my daughter: My Sweet Clarissa
June 09 Update: Thanks to Mrs. Anderson and a host of others
including Providence Elementary, Clarissa’s memory has been captured by her
wonderful 5th grade school teacher! Through generous donations and Mrs.
Anderson’s procurement of a grant, Providence Elementary has created and dedicated
a wonderful outdoor classroom in behalf of Clarissa named “Clarissa’s Classroom”.
Dedicated to our children that have fought and suffered from cancer. The new outdoor classroom includes a human
sundial, discovery center, lots of beautiful plants and of course a garden
center.
In addition to
this, we’ve recently been informed that Providence City has created and named a
new soccer field after Clarissa. The area includes a children’s park, soccer
field and walking loop. As a parent the
loss is tremendous, but having kind people memorialize our daughter’s life is
both healing and humbling. Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you!
November 2008 Northern Utah Pheasant Hunt
Report
Wow,
what another great year for birds in Northern UT. Opening day gave us a lot of action and my
freezer has plenty of game bird! 4 week
pregnant Sheila was not going to stay home. In fact, she hunted the bulrush
with as much vigor as I’ve seen. 11 month old Ruby nailed her 1st
rooster. The training and instinct is paying off as she learns the ropes of
hard pheasant hunting in the slough. We spent some or our time in what we call
the slough. It’s a 50 acre piece with an
assortment of vegetation including dense cattails, swamp grass and chest high
bulrush. It’s a modern day paradise for a pheasant that requires a determined
dog and hunter alike. Three of us pushed through the center while 2 other
family members shadowed the outside of a U shaped depression surrounded by cut
corn and hay fields. We also found a lot of success in a public basin near the
Bear River. I often hear from other hunters that their just aren’t any more
birds in Utah. I always smile when I hear that because knowing where to go and
having good hunting dogs makes a big difference. Sheila and Ruby joined forces
with Gus (Yellow Lab) and Sadie (German Shorthair.) The dogs hunted hard and
impressed all. Our flushers and pointers work well together as we enjoyed a
very successful and safe hunt.
Traversing through dense and rough terrain is exhausting for the dogs.
Their eyes, nose and feet take a real beating and often get scratched and
poked. It takes a determined dog to get in and really hunt these areas. Ruby is
learning and I will take her to a hunt club to reinforce what she gained from
this falls’ experience.I’m very pleased that I’m getting such great drive and
desire from my 2 females that enjoy jogging with my wife, playing with my 6
year old son or training in a nearby field.
I couldn’t be more pleased with their versatility and attitude. I must
thank my In-laws & brother-in-Laws. They’re great company and I get a stack
of hot waffles from my mother-in-law!
Philosophy:
The success of our future Golden
Retriever populations falls squarely on the quality of the sires and dams used
with each new generation. Their degree
of excellence is expressed in the earned titles, field work, conformation, attitude
and health. The history of the Golden Retriever began around the early 1900’s
in Scotland, with the original intent of developing the perfect hunting dog for
both sport and sustenance. With meticulous record keeping a handful of people
like Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, a British aristocrat, who later became the first
Lord Tweedmouth, from Brook House, Park Lane, London dedicated their lives in
the development of this breed. While careless & rampant breeding happen in
earnest today, there a many breeders that continue the original intent while
adding sporting breed qualities. Powerful, active dogs, that are structurally
sound and well balanced. Golden Retrievers possess a personality that is eager,
alert and self-confident. Any breeder becomes a steward & contributor to
the outcome this wonderful breed. As such, methodical consideration should be
given to each new life. According to the AKC the Golden Retriever is a Sporting
Breed. They love to work with a “Give me a job” attitude. Sure, Goldens make
great family members, their great with kids and are highly trainable. Because
of their versatility, many people are proving how much more they can become.
Goldens are excelling in agility trials, as impairment companions, rescue dogs,
hunt trials and field tests. We keep these goals in mind with any new
litter. Besides all this, they love to
hunt. The opportunity for most folks to hunt, train or prove this fine breed is
diminishing or difficult logistically.
Today’s Hunt, Agility and Field test programs offer a wonderful option
and are set up to prove dog & owner capabilities. Fortunately, we have
family members that own or have access to 100’s of acres of prime farmland in
Northern UT. It’s where the rubber hits the roads for us as find to out what
kind sporting bred dogs we really have. We hunt and train on wild birds in all
kinds of terrain. Young dogs are trained at bird ranches giving them confidence
with each success. Obedience and desire are a must. Wanting the best
multi-purpose Golden Retrievers means breeding to the highest quality field and
obedience studs available. Our goal with each litter is to
produce golden retrievers with desire, trainability and easy to live with
temperaments. We look for dogs with classic field bred conformation &
drive. Meaning,
pups will have good bone alignment, deep chests, agile, go all day, athletic
bodies. Good health is of utmost importance to us therefore;
both parents will have their health clearances. Best of all, regardless of how
you use them; they’ll be wonderful members of your family.
Puppies will be well socialized and include a puppy pack with pedigrees and
other helpful information. They will be vet checked, dewclaws removed, wormed
and vaccinated. The Golden's desire to please is legendary-making them a top obedience
competitor and first-rate companion.
Retrieving desire: Dogs have different degrees of
interest in retrieving. Greater the drive, then the greater the chance of
overall success in training and competitive performance. One can have pulsating
drive but if paired with a lack of intelligence or a low degree of
tractability, then the dog will probably not be successful.
Intelligence: Dogs, like people, have different
levels of intelligence. The smarter dog progresses more quickly in training and
also retains more than one who has a lesser degree of native intelligence.
Tractability: This is a very important
characteristic of the elite retriever. The ideal dog should be easy to control
and be malleable. The opposite of tractability is stubbornness and a dog that
is prone to be dishonest and purposefully look for ways to defy the
instructions of the handler.
To make this happen, you MUST spend the time with them!
2009 Litter has been placed.
2010 Plans will consist of Ruby and a
son from the Sheila (I own) X Opie litter that is working on multiple titles
including SH, tracking and obedience. More to come but we are looking at
multiple generations of talented upland along with the grandfathers of Flyway’s
October Pardner MH*** WCX (See below) and NDC NMFR RockErin Red River Ruckus ***. Integrating these 2 lines along
with the known upland talent through Sheila’s line will equate to some fine
pups!
Opie
X Shiela Litter 2007: To Darrell and family.
We are very sorry and saddened to hear about the loss of
|
The Sharp
family contacted me weeks before our last Sheila X Jake litter. They described what they wanted and I told
them what our plans were. A lot of
talk and discussion went into the process but as you can tell from the
picture and the comments, they’re a very happy family. I haven’t seen all the pictures from the
Jake x Sheila litter but it sounds like we have drive and beauty! Lilly is a real looker! |
|
“Hi Jed, I just wanted to share some new developments about Lilly. She is
getting so big, 40+ lbs and still the biggest cuddle bug. I have never seen a
dog who likes to be cuddled so much! She is learning more everyday. Right now
with the heat in the high 90's low 100's her favorite thing to do is swim in
the pool. If she is hot and no one is in the pool she sits and cries at the
gate. Whenever we let her into the pool area she just jumps in. The kids
taught her to dive off the diving board (2ft off the water) and now she does
it just for fun. She cries pitifully if the kids try to swim without her. She
LOVES to retrieve from the water. She will bring anything you throw and if
you won’t play with her she will throw her own ball in and go after it!! She
loves to bury her head under the water and get her toys. The last few days
she has decided to "save" us and she will grab our hand from under
the water, wrap her front paws around our forearm and swim/drag us to the
steps. She is so gentle the whole time too. She is so cute! She looks so much
like Sheila, so beautiful!! We love her so much!” Hope all is well with you and your family, Take care, Sharp Family |
Colleen
from California contacted me looking for a SAR Search & Rescue dog from the
Sheila & Push litter. She described
what she was looking for in behavior, drive and sociality. I was pretty
confident in the litter but I have to admit in the back of my mind I was
keeping my fingers crossed. When Colleen arrived at our house I handed her a
nice female and told her that I believe this is the one for her. She took the
puppy into our garage and ran Maddie through a series of tests used to exploit
disposition and the behavior necessary to aid in her success as a SAR dog. Maddie passed with high marks; Colleen smiled
and said “We’ll Take Her!”
“Hi Jed,
Maddie has moved right in and taken control. She is just a lovely,
smart, little girl, but a goofball! This picture is from her first training day
at Search and Rescue 3/29/08. At this age the trainers play age appropriate
games with her to socialize her with other trainers, and we encourage her to
clamber over all the stuff in the disaster zone. She gets to follow around the
big dogs when they are doing ground search problems - Socializing her to other
dogs of various ages and introducing her to the trained behaviors. Her breeding
shows she loves to run and dive into the water and swim just for the fun of it.
Getting her not to, is the challenge. Maddie is about 60 lbs and the Vet
says she is one of the most perfect goldens she's ever seen. We will be
resuming advanced obedience training this week, and if that goes well resume
SAR training in December or January. But I can already tell from working with
her myself, she is much better at focusing her attention. Regardless of whether
she becomes successful at SAR, she has stolen our hearts and my husband just
adores her. She is spoiled of course. She sleeps at the end of our bed which I
never thought my husband would ever think of allowing before we got her.”
Ann & Grant contacted me from NM where they raise and train horses on a beautiful ranch. They were looking for an all purpose Golden that would fit into their active lifestyle. The Push X Sheila litter caught their eye and we are very happy it did. It looks like Heidi has a wonderful family in a beautiful part or the country. “Hi Jed,
Everything is going great!
Heidi has grown so much. She is
undoubtedly the most athletic puppy we have ever had. We love her temperament. Just a sweetheart! She is very eager to learn and has some of the
basic commands down - which is amazing because she is still so young. She's been great with the horses and other
animals. I have attached a couple of
pictures that capture her spirit and her beauty.
We could not have done any better.
Thanks!
Ann and Grant”
Once
in a while something happens in life that brings a person back to earth. In the
race to raise and train great multi-purpose goldens sometimes the human touch
gets lost in all of it. This was case
between a very special girl and her very special golden retriever. Several months ago Marta called me from
Washington State. She told me that her
13 year old daughter had found my website and really, really wanted a puppy
from the Opie litter. She’d looked at
several sites but told her mother that there was a female in that litter
especially for her. At first, I smiled
and figured it was the sweet dream of a 13 year old girl. Miquela (Mekayla)
insisted,
had been saving for some time and sent in a deposit. She told me her name would be Kola. A Native American name that means friend.
Miquela and her father drove to Utah from Washington when Kola turned 8 weeks
old to pick her up. Here’s the rest of
the story. Meanwhile, I was unaware that my 9 year old daughter Clarissa had
fallen in love with Kola. She played
with her everyday. Because of the
demeanor of Kola I decided she’d be the right one for Miquela. Clarissa
happened to be there when Miquela, her father and brother arrived. I asked
Clarissa to go get the puppy we’d chosen for Miquela. When she handed Kola over
to Miquela, Clarissa ran inside. After
they left, I came inside to see where Clarissa had run off to. My wife motioned
to her room and explained what had been going on the last several weeks. I tried to explain to saddest 9 year old in
town that we have a nice dog and that Miquela needed a nice dog too. As a
father, this was one of those tough ones.
Recently, Marta sent me and e-mail and a picture. It’s extremely heart-warming and worth
sharing.
“Dear Jed,
When she first came to your
place in August, I was on business travel so I called her and asked her
what she thought of Kola at first sight and she said "She's
perfect." Ever since, Kola is known in our neighborhood as the
luckiest dog on the planet. She even wags her tail as she walks with
Miquela. After Miquela came to your place to pick up kola with her father
and brother, they went on to Olympia Washington to Ashley Creek Farm which has
been in my family for decades (www.ashleycreek.com). Kola was able to run and play
to her hearts delight. The real heart that was delighted was
Miquela's. I've never seen a child so taken with an animal and I grew up
with several. If ever two souls were intended to meet it was Kola and Miquela. For the last 3 months Kola
has enjoyed living in Naples California near the famous canals and a huge dog
park where she has many friends. Things are going very well, and she is
now about 40 pounds of pure joy.”
Best Regards from a very
happy parent, Marta.
Josh and Lisa of UT stopped by to pick
out a replacement hearing impaired therapy dog. Unfortunately, they lost their
lab to an accident. It was a bitter/sweet evening as they discussed what
happened. I quickly learned about the
time and effort it takes to train a hearing impaired dog. They decided to spend
the next several years with one of Sheila’s daughters. Good Choice! They needed
an intelligent, strong natured dog that was willing to serve them for years to
come. We are very excited for them as they’ve already begun their training.
Here’s what they have to say about Akhila the oldest daughter and first born of
the Opie litter.
“Hi Jed-
I wanted to send a cute picture from Akhila's birthday this
year. It was fun since she is pretty good about letting us put things on
her now that she is training with the service dog vest. We also took
Akhila on her first plane ride to Seattle to visit Josh's family at the end of
June. She sat in the front seats of the plane with us and laid at our
feet. She did extremely well throughout the whole airport / shuttle / rental
car process with the large crowds and distractions aplenty! Her ears
perked when we took off the first time but the way home it was like she was an
old pro. She is getting more mature and loves to learn new things and is
great at all the clicker training we do with her. We tire her out with a
lot of walks and Frisbee throwing too! She has also been swimming so much now
that she swims the whole time and doesn't ever want to get out! Utah Lake
has a great place that is quiet and calm for dogs and people to swim and we've
been there a couple times. We plan to keep working on service dog things for
the next year and then start putting her through the therapy dog
training. She has a very gentle and perfect personality for also being a
therapy dog.
Best wishes to you and your family-
Josh and Lisa and Akhila”
George and Shirley of ID, a retired
couple, with a zest for life and love of golden retrievers made the long drive from
Northern ID to meet Sheila and pick out their puppy, Sunny. A beautiful female
with a medium golden coat. We had a wonderful visit and found out how much they
really love their dogs! Here’s what they had to say after picking their puppy.
“Hi Jed, Thank you, thank you, and thank you. We are loving
our little puppy girl. She is so smart. I can tell that she is going to
be the best dog we have ever had. Jed, here are some recent pics of
Sunny. She has had real good exercise this winter, going cross country
skiing with me and George also takes her out to run. She loves the
snow. So she is very muscular and well filled out as you can see. Isn't
she beautiful?”
Andy & Shawna of ID attended a dog
show in a nearby city during the spring 07’. They saw conformation, agility,
obedience and rally competitions. They wanted to match the right breed to their
situation. I was most impressed by how much homework they did. I’m even more
impressed with how they are helping sweep develop. They came away convinced
that a field bred golden was the right thing for them. In addition to being a
family dog, Andy plans to hunt with his golden as seen below with Sweeps first
duck hunt. As a full time police officer, Andy is considering putting Sweep
through a drug dog training program.
Wow! This is very exciting news as we wish Andy, Shawna and Sweep all
the best!
“Spring has finally come
here and we can get Sweep out and about more. He passed his beginning
agility 4H class last week. Today we had him out at the river
retrieving. He loves to fetch in the water and his focus was
incredible. This is the most unusual
dog I have ever owned, and I mean that in the best way. His
desire to try things and learn is amazing and as to his retrieving...
well let’s just say that if it is thrown he will bring it back,
regardless. ”